Do These Things to Get Promoted to Manager
Anyone who wants to take the step towards becoming a boss can fall into a familiar loop: every job description they consider requires past managerial experience. But how will they gain experience if no one will hire them without it?
If you are looking for a managerial job outside of your current company, where no one knows you or has seen your work, you certainly have an uphill battle ahead of you. Hiring leaders are looking for some sort of proof that the candidate is the right fit for the job; when they don’t know a candidate, they naturally look for past experience. In these cases, if you don’t have one, you will most likely miss out – don’t waste time applying.
Instead, it is best to promote within the company. In these cases, the transition from individual participant to leader requires positioning yourself for that job. It’s not about writing your resume in such a way that your project work sounds like management. Rather, it’s about relationships, skills, and risk taking. To be the boss you need all three. Here’s how to prepare yourself for the next step.
Understanding the Role of a Manager
Leadership is not for everyone. Just because you’re good at your current role doesn’t mean you should be the boss. Leading people requires a very different set of skills. Leadership is getting results through others.
In addition to reading job descriptions, talk to people in senior positions at your company. Ask them why they wanted the job, what is good and bad about it, and what they learned about the difference between being an employee and being a leader. Talk to at least three to five people. Get different points of view.
Then determine if management is right for you. Some decide that this is not the case and know that they will be happier to be solely responsible for their work. Others understand that the responsibility of leading others to great work is what they are striving for.
Tell me you want to go to management
As much as we wish hiring processes were always transparent, sometimes they aren’t. People get new jobs all the time without job postings. I once lost my job as a manager because no one knew I wanted it. I was disappointed and confident that I am more qualified based on the experience of the previous company. When I asked my boss about this, he said, “I didn’t know you were interested, and I didn’t know about your background.”
This indicated a conversation that I did not have with him; I waited for my boss to read my mind and then spoon-feed me jobs. Don’t rely on anyone else to develop your career. Tell us about your career aspirations. If you want to become a manager, start by telling your boss about it and letting others know about it.
Learn the basics of leadership
To be considered with no experience, start studying leadership now. For example, if you want to effectively lead a team, you must be aware of psychological safety , the most important factor in team success. In addition, the ability to openly discuss performance is a key leadership competency. It’s not just about feedback (both positive and negative), it’s also about asking for feedback from your team and modeling how to get it right.
Then feel free to use this new information in your current role. You don’t have to be a manager to demonstrate the ability to ask questions and listen or appreciate others.
Ask about stretch marks
A forced assignment is a project that you either don’t know how to do or you know very little about. It is designed for you to learn something new. It expands your knowledge, skills and your comfort zone. Since you are positioning yourself as a leader, ask for a project that involves leading a committee or working group. Effective leadership often comes down to interacting with people, so make sure it’s part of the big assignment.
When you get an assignment, a treat is a trial run for managerial work. The mindset you need is to learn and determine if a leadership role is really what you need.
Consider working elsewhere
In some organizations, there is simply no easy way to get into management. Some of them may be too small and there are too few leadership positions. Others are large and have management development programs by invitation only. This means that in order to become a manager, you must qualify for the program.
Take a hard look at whether the company you currently work for is right for your growth and development. It may not be. Do your homework (talk to people, google, etc.) and find companies that work. You may need to go somewhere else and take a step aside, maybe even take a pay cut to get you on your way to the leadership position you want. Follow the advice of Patty Sellers, editor of Forbes , and remember that careers are jungle gyms, not stairs.
Becoming a leader can be an enjoyable and meaningful career, so don’t let this loop of necessary experience hold you back. Prepare by developing the right relationships, acquiring skills, and taking risks—that’s what leadership is all about.